Life Anew
by MarMarJ
Summary: After the war, Katniss, her family and Peeta have returned to 12 to start their new life. Katniss and Peeta await the birth of their twins, with some unexpected surprises before and after they are born. The second part of 'Here is the Place Where I Love You'.
1. Chapter 1

**Ch. 1**

 **Hey everyone! So, this is Part 2 to HITPWILY, so if you haven't read it yet you should. Otherwise you won't understand… xD**

 **Each chapter will be based on one month of Katniss's pregnancy. So let's say, this chapter, Katniss is 4 months pregnant. Next chapter she'll be 5 months pregnant. And so on. Happy reading!**

4 Months

Katniss woke feeling Peeta's strong arms wrapped around her. His body was pressed firmly against her back. Curiously, she shifted her shoulder to feel soft skin, which meant Peeta wasn't wearing a shirt.

No wonder it was so warm.

She struggled at first, but she was able to wriggle out of his grasp and get out of the bed. Katniss reached towards him and brushed back hair from his forehead. He raised his eyebrows when her hand touched his head. He sighed and moved into a new sleeping position. Then she gave him a soft kiss on nose.

Katniss looked out the open bedroom window to see that the sun was just arriving. The ground outside had frost on it.

She closed the window and then stripped herself of her robe and her pajamas, and then walked over to the wooden wardrobe and put on some clothes.

When she slipped a shirt over her head she realized it didn't fit anymore. Her belly had grown too much and this was probably one of the last times she'd go hunting for a long time. Peeta wouldn't let her in a few weeks.

She put on a longer shirt and then left the bedroom. Feeling lazy, she pulled her dark hair into a ponytail. Katniss approached the front door and slipped on her hunting boots and her father's hunting jacket. Then she wrapped a dark scarf around her neck. She grabbed her bow and arrows and her new game bag which Peeta got her a few weeks ago.

Katniss left the house and started to run steadily out of the district. Peeta didn't like when she left to go hunt anymore. Since her belly was growing more and more each day, he would worry and didn't want Katniss exerting herself. Katniss, on the other hand, thought it was fine. But after Peeta begging her to be careful, she listened only slightly. She wouldn't run as hard, and that was about all she changed. She would still climb trees- because she couldn't resist. Which was hazardous, because she could fall out and cause a miscarriage.

Katniss would look in the mirror again, every day, observing the small bump which had now officially spread to her stomach. She knew that she would not be able to run or be as active as always once she reached a specific time. A few days after arriving in 12 last month, the nausea came back. Not as intense as it was the first month of being pregnant, but it was a surprise. It happened right in the middle of the woods. She had stopped running and sat down by a tree, feeling dizzy. She didn't tell Peeta, but he realized the pregnancy side-effects were back when Katniss threw up at the house 3 days later. She had been hiding the nausea from him.

Katniss entered the forest. She was used to hunting alone now. She didn't mind. Besides, she never wanted to see Gale ever again. Not after what he'd done. He'd caused harm to not only Katniss but to her loved ones as well. It was as if the war turned him into someone different.

A twig snapped and Katniss rapidly whipped an arrow out of its quiver, ready to shoot. A small, white rabbit hopped out of some shrubs that had begun to bear small little green leaves. The rabbit's ears and paws were starting to turn brown again. Katniss shot it quickly before the animal had a chance to take another hop.

Katniss felt her stomach churn but she knew it wasn't caused by the twins. It was her body adjusting, just like that night before she and Peeta left to the Capitol. At least, she was pretty sure it wasn't from the twins. Her mother explained to her what if felt like when she was carrying Katniss and Prim.

Katniss continued hunting in the new spring air. She managed to catch another rabbit- a bit smaller than the first- and a robin. She almost never caught robins, but she thought she'd give one a try.

Peeta liked rabbit more than the other things Katniss caught. So she made sure to catch at least one almost every day. But she needed to let them reproduce, otherwise they'd disappear and Katniss would need to head deeper into the forest, where Peeta never wanted her going. Lately, Peeta had been overprotective and would limit Katniss to eating specific things like sweets. Turns out Lily had been telling Peeta what he needed to know; that Katniss should take it easy on hunting and that she should eat healthier foods. He only made her cheese buns about once a week. Which made her angry sometimes because Peeta would tease her.

…

"Oh, my poor Katniss can't eat cheese buns." He'd smile. "Because her lover is a baker and won't make her any."  
"Stop it." She'd hiss, and then scowl at him.

Peeta would chuckle and then approach her. "Aw, don't be mad. I'm just trying to take care of my babies. That includes you, not just the twins." He'd tickle her cheek with the end of her braid and then she'd smack his hand and give him a death stare.

"I've craving them for the past 2 weeks. Just make me some." She'd groan.

"…And I've been craving you for the past month."  
"Well you're not getting any of…" Katniss pointed at herself- her chest, actually…On purpose, because she knew what he liked. "These… for another 6 months." She'd give him a strange smile, a sarcastic one.

Peeta puckered his lip and made a whining noise.

Katniss stuck out her tongue. Then she'd leave the room.

…

When Katniss arrived home, it was quiet. Which meant the boy was not awake. She grinned and put down her bow and arrows, and hung up her father's coat and the scarf. She went to the kitchen and placed her game bag on the table. Then she went up the steps to the bedroom she shared with Peeta.

When she entered the room, she found Peeta still lying in bed. Her grin widened and she sat down on the bed. She rubbed his arm, feeling the muscles underneath.

"Hey." She murmured.

Peeta moved his face slightly and let out a little whimper. Katniss got up and opened the curtains, quickly bringing moans and little noises from Peeta's lips.

Katniss stretched her arms over her head. "Rise and shine, bread boy." She slid onto the bed on her belly next to Peeta. She kissed him and nuzzled her nose with his. "Peeta." She said in a sing song voice. She ruffled his blonde waves and started to play with his hair. "C'mon, wake up. I've been gone for almost 2 hours now."  
Peeta moaned. "Mm…what? You went hunting?" He said sleepily.

"Maybe."

Peeta turned onto his back and stretched, his eyes still closed. One of his arms reached out for Katniss and pulled her towards his body, making her shriek. He snickered when he heard her.

He embraced her and kept her pressed to his chest and Katniss placed her hands on his bare torso. It was still warm so she pressed her cheek against his heart. One of Peeta's hands slid down to her belly. He pulled the elastic out of her hair and kissed her forehead. Katniss looked up and saw his blue eyes. "Hey beautiful."

"Hey, you." She kissed him softly. Then she got up. "C'mon. I caught rabbits."

 **Kinda fluffy for the first chapter, no? Leave a review because I love hearing from you all.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all the great reviews, everyone!**

 _5 Months_

Peeta kept Katniss pressed against him.

She kept herself close to his warm body, listening to his heartbeat as he whispered soothing words to her.

"It was only a nightmare. Everything's okay. I got you."

Peeta could feel her tears seeping through his shirt. He kissed the top of her head as he held her in his lap. Katniss allowed her legs to wrap around his waist, straddling him.

She didn't tell him what the nightmare was about, but it was about Gale.

He wasn't abusing her sexually, but physically. He had a knife with him and was hitting her on her face and her torso. In her nightmare, he caused a miscarriage. Somehow, Katniss knew. Gale slashed her stomach in her nightmare, and that's when she woke up, screaming in a pool of sweat, holding her stomach.

Peeta woke up and held her. She kept a hand on her swollen belly and kept the other wrapped around Peeta's neck. She pressed her face into his neck, feeling his warmth. Peeta felt Katniss's hand trembling between them. He looked down to see her hand on her belly. Hearteningly, he placed one of his overtop, stroking her hand with his thumb. He hushed her. He kissed the exposed skin of her shoulder. Katniss was wearing one of Peeta's sweaters, and it was too big for her (obviously), so it slipped off her shoulder. It was a black sweater. She felt him rest his chin on her shoulder.

Katniss let out a small whimper.

"Shh…" He hushed her softly. "Ssh…shh… They're okay, Katniss." Her cries got quieter and quieter until it was silent in the room. Just snivelling. Katniss pulled away, her eyes red and fresh tears on her face. Her eyelashes were clumped together due to her crying, so they were like spikes. Peeta petted her hair. "Better?" He asked her. She nodded. "Good." He kissed her forehead. Katniss took a deep breath, and released it through her mouth.

"All good." She told him. "Thank you." She murmured.

"Your welcome." Peeta replied. "I don't like seeing you cry." Then he wiped her tears away, and Katniss let him.

"I love you." She told him, as he wiped her face. "I love you so much, Peeta."

He smiled. "I love you even more." He whispered against her lips. Katniss closed her eyes again, waiting for a kiss. But she never got it.

She felt Peeta get off the bed. "Hey!"

"What's up?" He said, hiding a smile.

"Get back here." She demanded.

Peeta wrinkled his nose and grinned lightly, then shook his head. "Nah."

Katniss got up off the bed, coming over to him.

"What?" Peeta asked.

"You owe me something."  
"Oh..." Peeta raised his eyebrows in question. "And what would that be…?"

Katniss leaned in forward, and Peeta shifted away, running down the stairs. He was feeling energetic and comical today. Katniss heard his movement and her eyes shot open to face the beige wall.

"Peeta!" She yelled. "Get your ass over here!"

She just wanted to kiss him.

She wished that she could lunge herself at him, tackling him to ground, and get the kiss she wanted. But with the pregnancy, she couldn't. Peeta's sweater hid her swollen belly. It just protruded slightly, but when she was wearing a normal shirt, it was very obvious. Peeta had been teasing her more and more as her stomach grew, because she had gotten incapable of doing many things. She couldn't climb trees anymore, heck, she could barely run. She'd get tired very easily carrying two babies. They may be small currently, the size of bananas maybe, but Katniss had always hated the feeling of not being able to do something.

Katniss got a plan. A smirk came onto her face.

"Ugh! Peeta!" She held onto the stair railing and slid down the small wooden bars at the top, falling onto the floor, clutching her belly.

She grunted and started to yelp. "Peeta! I…" She panted. "I can't…" She let out a pained scream. "Peeta! Something's not right- the twins…!" She cried.

Suddenly, Peeta came shooting up the stairs. He saw Katniss crumpled on the floor, panting, wailing and yelping in pain.

"Katniss!" He gasped. He got down to her level, helping her sit up, and put his hands on her belly. "What is it?! It hurts?"

"It…!" Katniss gasped and panted, and started to tremble. "No… S-something's wrong! No… please…." She whispered, as if she was begging the twins to stay in place.  
"Oh god. Oh god." He gasped. He ran his hands up to his head, staring at her in shock. Was she going into labour? How? She hadn't felt them move yet! Not that he knew of anyway.

Katniss opened her eyes to see him in shock. She was about to continue, but she couldn't handle it. The pained expression left her face, and it was replaced by a wide smile. She started to laugh.

Peeta stared at her, puzzled. What the heck? She was just screaming for him, showing signs of going into labour, and now, she's laughing? "Katniss?"

She continued laughing. Her head turned to see Peeta glaring at her with an expression which made her laugh harder. "Come here, you! Its okay, I'm okay! It was a joke." She held his face in her hands and kissed him.

"What?" He asked, sounding incredibly confused. "Wait… you don't feel anything? You're not in pain?"  
"No!" She snickered. "I'm fine! It was just a joke. I don't feel anything, don't worry. They're not due for another 4 months."

Peeta's mouth dropped open. "Oh my god." He closed his eyes. "Don't ever do that again. You scared the damned shit out of me, Katniss. Please don't joke about those kind of things. This…" He pointed at her belly. "Is serious, okay? If something happened to those little things in there…" He sighed. "Oh, just please don't do that again."

"Okay." She promised. Her laughter died down, but a smile remained on her face. "They'll be okay." She told him. Peeta kept his eyes on her hands which were on her stomach. "They're safe in here." Peeta leaned down to kiss her stomach. She watched him, and her smile disappeared. It surprised her how much Peeta loved them already. Not that she didn't love them- she did, but she hadn't met them yet, or seen them. Only through black and white pictures. She couldn't find out if they were males or females, or if they had Peeta's merchant curls or her grey Seam eyes.

But Peeta seemed so attached to them.

Of course he did. He was different, compared to Katniss. She couldn't love something right away. And on the other hand, Peeta fell in love with her at first sight.

"So no movement, huh?"

"No." Katniss said. "Not yet." She added, trying to make him happy. Peeta rested his head on her belly.

"You should feel something soon. If not, something's wrong."  
"Nothing's wrong. Everything's fine."

"Mm…" Peeta said, with an unsure sound.

"It's been exactly five months, Peeta. It doesn't mean I should feel something right _now_."

"Well you should feel something. Your body developing, at least."

"That I have felt, but it's just strange stomach churns—"

"Wait, what?" Peeta lifted his head off her stomach. "You felt something? Why didn't you tell me?" He asked calmly, but having a confused edge in his voice.

"It didn't count. It wasn't them moving, I could tell. I've felt my stomach do that for years."

Peeta sighed. "You still should have told me."

"So…You want to know everything about them?" Katniss scoffed.

"Yeah!" He exclaimed. "They're my kids!" He stood up and helped Katniss up.

"But you haven't even met them. How can you love the things when you haven't even held them, or seen what they look like? I bet you wouldn't have gotten a petty crush on me if you hadn't seen me."

"Are you saying you don't love them?"  
Katniss's eyes widened. "I do, it's just… well… I can't love them until I meet them. I don't know what to imagine."

"You don't understand. This is a different kind of love, Katniss. I love them because… I know they're going to arrive, and they're going to be innocent. Harmless. And… well… how could I not love them? Plus, they're _ours_. I couldn't ask for someone better to carry my children. And because of that, I love them."

Katniss looked at him with a sad expression. She felt bad. "Oh. I see."

"I understand your point, too. I know it's… different for you, let's say. You can't trust or love someone until you've met them first." Peeta told her. Katniss looked down at her feet. "But that's okay. I'm not trying to change your opinion, Katniss."

"Okay."

Peeta kissed Katniss's forehead. "Want cheese buns?" He asked her. Katniss lifted her chin.

"Yes."

Peeta smiled.

…

After breakfast, Peeta and Katniss headed back upstairs.

"So. What do you want to do today?" He asked her. "No hunting." He quickly added.

Katniss sighed and rolled her eyes. She hadn't hunted for a week or two now. Peeta wasn't letting her go anywhere. Katniss leaned against the counter. She shrugged.

"I don't know."

Peeta approached her with a smile on his face. He got close enough so their lips were barely touching. "No? We can do anything you want…. That doesn't include hunting," His lips brushed against hers.

Katniss kept her eyes open, and watched him. She opened her mouth. "Kiss me." She whispered. Peeta's smile widened. He slowly leaned in, closing the small space between their lips, and gave her a soft and sweet kiss. "Just think of something. Anything."

Katniss grinned slightly. "Can we… got to the forest?"  
"Mm…" Peeta stuck out his bottom lip, like he always did when he was thinking. "Depends."  
"Not to hunt. Just to stroll around. You'll like it." Peeta sighed. Katniss stared at him impatiently. "You said we could do whatever I wanted."

Peeta let out a groan. He didn't want to go into the forest. He didn't want Katniss in there, even if she wasn't going to hunt. "How about 12? Why don't we stroll around 12?" Peeta suggested.

"Peeta." Katniss scowled. "Do I have to say it again?"  
"What?"  
Katniss looked irritated. "You said... You said, just 15 seconds ago… that we could do whatever I wanted to do today."

"Okay." Peeta sighed, with a grin. "Okay. Let's go to the forest. Let's go get ready."

Katniss walked up the stairs, slowly. She couldn't run up them like she used to. Peeta would stand behind her and he'd always be the last one up. They entered their bedroom and Katniss opened her wardrobe, and then turned to Peeta. "Can I borrow another sweater?"

"What's up with you and my sweaters?"

"Mine are too tight. And, yours hide this." Katniss pointed at her stomach.

"Katniss." Peeta groaned. "You don't need to hide your bump. It doesn't make you look fat or anything. I promise you…" Peeta slipped the sweater she was wearing off of her. Underneath she wore a white tank top, so the bump was fully on display. She wasn't wearing any pants, so she stood in front of him in her tank and underwear. "…That you look beautiful with it."

"It makes me look weak around people. Just the fact that the once- leader of the rebellion is carrying babies. Plus, by the size, they can infer that she was having intercourse during the rebellion."  
"So? Don't be self-conscious. Don't you care about what they think, okay? If we were having intercourse… well, that's none of their business, is it?"  
"I hope not."  
"It isn't. You look stunning with it."  
"How?" Katniss asked. "Why?"

"It makes you look… proud. Happy, and… beautiful. I don't know how to describe _how_ , exactly… but you look so amazing."

One of the reasons that she looked beautiful was because her breasts had grown and he found it attractive. But Peeta didn't admit it. He knew that if he told Katniss that that was a reason, she'd get angry, and even more self-conscious- because, well, she didn't want her body to be that way.

He recalled the night he caught Katniss holding her breasts in the mirror, only that she was wearing a bra overtop. Then she explained how they felt sensitive and they had grown. His eyes continued flitting down to them that day. He wanted to make love to her that very second. Hell, he wanted to make love to her every day, but he didn't think it was right, with Katniss starting to get heavily pregnant. Plus, Katniss had not been showing any signs that she wanted to make love again. There was always a night or so, when Katniss would go on top of him and they'd start to kiss passionately. Peeta would hold her legs in place and he would sit up so she was straddling him. She would press her body close to his and her nightgown would ride up her thighs. But that was as far as they'd go. Katniss was the one who usually stopped the wild kissing. And that was what typically kept Peeta well and sustained with his girl.

But she was starting to get over that night in the basement. She wasn't as afraid. She just didn't want _it_ as bad as she used to.

Peeta kissed her nose and placed his hands on her widened hips.

"So you want me to wear a tight shirt? Not a sweater?"  
"Well, not a tight one… but just one that doesn't hide those two in there. You'd look nice."  
"But I always thought it was better to hide it."

"Well, if you really… _really_ don't want anyone looking… go for it. But I'll tell you this—in 3 or 4 months, you won't be able to hide it, no matter how many sweaters you put on. Because there are two babies, your stomach will be two times bigger than it would be with one."

"I know."

"So? Sweater or tank?" Peeta asked, already reaching into his wardrobe.

"Um… I'll just… well…" Katniss bit her lip. "Depends how nice it is outside." There was sunlight flooding the room. When Peeta looked outside, it looked fairly warm. The trees and bushes had already grown leaves. It had been quite warm lately.

"…Do you know what? It's your body. Not mine. I mean… I can't tell you what to wear. It's your choice. Whatever you want." He said softly. "You're saying your sweaters are too tight?"  
"They expose the bump. They hide it… a bit. I haven't worn them in a month, but I'm not sure if they fit with this… because it's grown."

"Try one on for me."

And so she did. She slipped a brown sweater over her head. It was true. Her bump was on display still, just not as much. But it still fit.

"Beautiful." Peeta smiled. "You look amazing. You should wear that. Wearing my sweaters… makes you look lazy, I'd say." Peeta looked at her eyes, a bit worried that she was going to lash out.

Instead, she didn't. 'Okay' was all she said. She then slipped it off and gathered her clothing, and headed to the bathroom. Peeta observed her walk. When Katniss took her 3rd step, she felt a smack on her rear. She yelped and made a jump.

She whipped her head around in shock. "Peeta!" Peeta pursed his lips, trying to conceal a smile. "What was that for?"

Peeta smiled and then burst into fits of laughter. Katniss glared at him in confusion. He looked up at her and saw a shade of pink starting to show on her face. Katniss blushed when she realized what Peeta did. "You're disgusting."

"What? How?"  
"You don't just slap my butt like that!"  
Peeta giggled and beamed at her. "Yeah I do. You're mine. I can do whatever I want to you."  
"You sound abusive."  
"Except I'm not."

Katniss rolled her eyes. "…Then why did you slap me…?" Katniss muttered under her breath.

"Kat, I was just playing!" Peeta told her, still laughing.

"Were you?"

"Yes, I swear. I didn't mean to hurt you… I… just couldn't resist you. I'm sorry."

Katniss scoffed. "I know." She murmured. "It's okay. Just don't do it again."  
"I won't. If you don't like it, I'll stop."  
"Did you think I'd like it?" She asked, suspiciously. Peeta didn't answer. "You're so stupid, honestly. And perverted. Why would I enjoy being slapped on the ass?"

Peeta shrugged with a smile on his face.

"Now get in the shower before I join you."

Katniss showered with Peeta twice, but she usually didn't like to do it. The first time they showered together was after the third time they'd made love. The last time was when Katniss wouldn't settle down from her nightmares. Katniss had been so scared that Peeta had to bathe her in the tub, it wasn't long before he hopped in with her.

She wasn't fully sure why she preferred regular sex over shower sex, but she just did.

…

Before they left the house, Peeta slipped Katniss's boots on. She wasn't able to put them on or tie them. They did the same with socks. Peeta had to put her socks on for her. And she had a feeling that soon, she wouldn't be able to put on pants. As he tied them, Katniss stretched her arms from side to side.

Peeta looked up at her and smiled. She smiled back. Suddenly, Katniss's smile dropped and was replaced by a shocked stare.

"Peeta." Her voice was shaky.

"Yeah?" He looked up at her again. He noticed the terror on her face.

"They're moving." She gulped. "They're…"

Peeta gasped and got close to her. Katniss's hands flew to her belly. Peeta placed his on her abdomen. He slipped his hands under her sweater. His mouth dropped open. He couldn't believe it. He could feel strange poking and tapping against her skin. He moved the sweater higher so he could press his head against her belly, taking Katniss by surprise. "They're moving!" Peeta's laugh got louder. In his ear, he could hear something on the other side. Muffled moving noises.

He closed his eyes. "I can't believe this." He murmured.

Katniss, on the other hand, was shocked. She stared at the wall in shock, feeling the stirring. It settled down after about 10 seconds. It felt so different. Not like she expected. She couldn't believe it either. There were two little living things inside her, starting to squirm around. And it would only get worse. When it stopped, Peeta lifted his head and looked up at her.

She looked at him, scared.

"It's okay. Don't be scared, Katniss. It's all going to be okay." He smiled and embraced her. "There's nothing to be scared about. They're going to be okay."

Katniss nodded.

"You feel okay?" He asked.

She nodded again.

He kissed her belly, which made her smile softly. She ran one of her hands along his blonde curls when he rested his head on her belly.

"Oh, Katniss." He sighed. "This is amazing." He said, as the stirring occurred again.

Katniss felt a sharp movement, and she supposed Peeta felt it too, because of his comment. "They're probably fighting for space in there."

He Katniss chuckled softly. "Yeah."

 **So I was going to add a little more to this chapter… but it would have been too long… and usually my range is 1,500-2,500 words per chapter. Plus if I had made it longer you guys would all have to wait another while because I've been a poop for these past few days with uploading**

 **I promise that the next chapter will be very interesting!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games**

 _6 Months_

She felt his cold hands against her stomach. In her dream, her bump wasn't noticeable yet. Katniss laid herself down on the mattress and his hands slid up to her chest. She was breathing hard and couldn't think straight. Mischievous lips pressed against her skin and Katniss started to feel highly uncomfortable. Her body wriggled slightly and she whimpered when his hands went to the inside of her thighs. In this dream, speaking wasn't accepted- she didn't have the power to say anything. All she could hear was her labored breathing and the sound of their bodies moving on the mattress. When his fingers started to play in a certain area, Katniss grunted and backed away. 'Stop' she wanted to say. He crawled up her body and removed what was left, so it was just skin against skin. Katniss could feel his silver gaze piercing her naked body in the dark. Instantly, a combined wave of pain and pleasure took over her. It was mostly pain, though. He started to move into her, with hard thrusts and Katniss felt hot tears coming down her face. She pleaded for him to let her go, to let her go, to _please_ let her go.

" _No!"_ Katniss shrieked. She got herself to sit up, and took in her surroundings. She was safe at home, sharing a warm bed with a sound- asleep Peeta. It appeared like he didn't hear her scream at all, because he was still as a rock. Katniss's body trembled. She could still feel Gale's hands on her. Slowly, she slipped out of the covers and left the bedroom. She kept a hand on her swollen belly, containing her and Peeta's twins, and felt stirring. They both noted that the twins would move every time Katniss woke up, and several times during the day, and only a bit at night when Katniss accommodated herself. The movement continued and she burst into tears.

Katniss entered the room that would soon belong to the twins. Quiet mumbling noises escaped her lips as she crawled into the corner and buried her face in her hands. Guilt spread throughout her body like flames. She shivered and sobbed.

…

Peeta's arms extended slightly, searching for Katniss's warm body. His hands patted several parts of the mattress until he felt the edge. Katniss was gone. Tired, sapphire eyes blinked open in the dark. He lifted his head off his pillow and his eyes accustomed to the darkness, so he could make out shapes in the room. The door. The nightstand. The wardrobes. The bookshelf. He squinted and saw that the little hand on the clock was pointing at the two. Blue moonlight managed to enter the room through the opened door. Inaudibly, Peeta slipped out and stood quiet in the hallway, waiting to hear a whimper. Something was obviously wrong. In fact, he remembered hearing something several minutes ago, in his sleep- like screaming.

But currently, it was silent. Only the sound of the almost inaudible clock ticking could be heard. Peeta opened each door on the floor he was in. He searched his painting room, his brothers' rooms and his parents' room, behind the shower curtains in the bathrooms.

Katniss could hear footsteps and the moving of objects. She didn't want Peeta, not now, with the memory of her and Gale fresh in her mind. Katniss moved so that she was hiding behind the wide white crib that the twins would share. She wanted the darkness to swallow her whole. Finally, Peeta entered the room. Katniss watched him. The moonlight just so happened to land on her eyes. The glistening caught Peeta's eye and realized the moonlight illuminated Katniss's tear-soaked face. He sighed and looked at her sadly. "Katniss?" He murmured. He got closer and Katniss sat still. "Was it a nightmare?"  
"Just go back to sleep, Peeta." Her voice trembled. "I just… need some time."

"I'm not leaving you here. Come with me."

Katniss obeyed him and stood up with his help. She wrapped her wool sweater tighter around herself. Anxiety bubbled in her stomach as Peeta led her back to their bedroom. The two of them laid down together. Katniss buried her face into his warm neck. Peeta felt her tears wet the skin on his neck. He stroked her back. "Want to tell me about it?" He asked softly.

She wanted to.

She wished it was easy.

The guilt was horrible. She wanted to admit the truth. In this moment she realized she couldn't keep this secret away from him. It was too big of a secret to hide. Especially from him. Her eyes closed and she breathed deeply before speaking.

"Peeta." She croaked.

"Yes?"

Katniss gulped. Her body trembled in his arms and she cried harder. She didn't want to lose the boy with the bread. She had a dark feeling inside that revealing the truth wasn't a good idea.

"I'm listening, Katniss. What's wrong?" He calmly asked, with unmistakable love in his voice. It hurt Katniss.

"I'm sorry." She said, in a loud whisper.

Peeta looked down at her. "For what? What's the matter?" He inquired. He tried to raise her chin, but her head didn't budge. Her tears started to seep through his shirt.

"Katniss? What are you sorry about? What happened?" His voice was so calm. The guilt and anxiety was making her body shake and get tensed up.

"I… This is hard to explain- to tell you."

"Is this about your dream?"

She shook her head. "Well… I guess, maybe a bit. I dream about… what… happened."

"Mm hm?" Peeta pressed his lips to her head.

Was this it? Was this when she was supposed to say what happened? Because there was no turning back anymore. Peeta knew something was wrong and she couldn't deny anything anymore. It was time.

She parted her lips, ready to say the four words which would change everything. Katniss' lip quivered, and she grasped tightly at Peeta's shirt.

"I slept with Gale."

She kept her eyes closed. She didn't move a muscle. Peeta didn't move a muscle. He felt his stomach turn and a numb feeling washed over him as her words echoed in his ears.

Katniss's eyes shot open. What was Peeta going to do?

Yell at her? Hurt her? Leave her?

She didn't dare look up at his eyes. She didn't want to see that hurt expression. They both laid perfectly still in each other's arms, waiting for the other to react.

Peeta let it sink in. Where? Why? How? And most importantly, _when?_

"Peeta…?"

He couldn't believe any of this. Why hadn't he known? It was obvious that she loved Gale. She used to, she doesn't anymore. But she loved him enough to let him make love to her.

Peeta didn't want to be holding her now. Not anymore.

"Katniss."

"Yes?" She answered, desperate for him to speak.

"I'm going to the bathroom." Katniss felt her heart sink. He pushed her off his body, a bit roughly, not 100% gently.

"Peeta—"

"Just wait, okay?"

Katniss could hear pain in his voice. And anger. She sat up and watched him. Peeta faced her and noticed how shocked she looked. It looked like she wanted to speak, but she didn't know what to say anymore.

Peeta entered the bathroom and closed the door. He stared at the mirror, looking himself in the eyes. He put his hands on his face and sighed. He tilted his face upwards so it faced the ceiling.

Why did she even admit this? It could only mean one thing.

That it happened recently, before they left the Capitol, or that Peeta was around when it occurred. Hatred ran through him and his breathing accelerated. His hand swiped at the glass cup on the sink, sending it flying down to the floor, with a loud, shattering noise. He moved the broken pieces of glass to the side of the wall with his foot, and then sat between the sink and the bathtub. He rested his elbows on his knees and kept his hands up at his temples.

Meanwhile, Katniss laid curled up on the bed, weeping. She wrapped her trembling arms around her knees, trying to get them as close to her as possible. It felt like their relationship was falling apart. This was adding fuel to the negative area of their relationship and it felt like Peeta wouldn't trust her anymore. He wouldn't forgive her for this…

Her body jerked with sobs. She didn't want to lose him. But it was the right thing to do- tell him the truth. She couldn't lose him when she was 6 months pregnant with his children.

Katniss's eyes widened as she realized a thought that could be running through Peeta's mind-

Maybe these twins weren't his. That they would be born with the same shade of Katniss's and Gale's deep, olive skin, raven hair and grey eyes. That there would be no chance of Katniss giving birth to a child with blond curls or sapphire eyes.

Her body crumpled into a tighter ball and she pulled at her hair's roots. She felt hot tears drip down her face and her nose get stuffy. She listened to herself whimper and cry. The black strands of hair glued themselves to her lips and her cheeks.

She wanted to speak with him. To explain all of this. Then, maybe he'd understand.

Looking up at the bathroom door, Katniss stood up. She pressed her good ear against the closed door, but it was quiet. Her hand reached for the gold doorknob and she twisted it to the side, to make sure it wasn't locked. Luckily, it wasn't, so she turned it very slowly, and peeked her head in.

He was staring blankly at the wall in front of him. He pretended like he hadn't heard her come in.

"Peeta?" She spoke softly. His blue eyes moved off the wall and met her grey eyes. He took a moment to observe her features.

Her pointed nose, perfect moon-colored eyes, which were shedding tears. Thin, dark eyebrows, pale, rosy lips. High cheekbones and a long, black cascade of hair. Her small but strong figure, with a large pregnant belly. She was beautiful. He sighed and Katniss allowed herself in. She walked closer to him and secured two buttons on her white knit sweater she wore over top her forest green nightgown. One of her hands held onto the sink as she sat down in front of him. They stared silently at each other. Peeta would look away every few seconds. Katniss tried to determine what she saw in his eyes. Disappointment? Anger? Disgust? Despondency? His hands got off his knees and he ran his fingers through his blond hair.

"Look, Katniss." He finally said. "I don't…" He began. "I don't really know what to say. I don't know what you want me to say. I don't know what to think." He murmured.

"Peeta." She said again. Her voice sounded like a plea. "Can I explain?"

"I'd like that, thank you." He was disappointed. "Before you start… can I please know when this took place?" His eyes flitted back at hers. Her brow furrowed in worry and fear. She gulped and wiped her nose, then nodded. He looked down at his knees.

"It… it was in the Capitol."

Immediately, Peeta's chin lifted and he faced her in shock. He felt deceived. "Why?" In his voice was disbelief and astonishment.

Katniss looked like she was about to cry.

"I'm sorry, okay? It was after we got out of the tunnels in the Capitol. When we went to Tigris."

"You did that behind my back?"  
"I thought you were dead!"  
"And you do that? Of all things?" He raised his voice also. "Right after I die, you decide to go to Gale? You're unbelievable."  
"Peeta, please—"

"Were you waiting? Were you just waiting for me to disappear, so you could go and fuck someone else?"

"No! It… Please, let me explain fully, Peeta, please." She begged. "I couldn't accept the fact that you were dead. And I got so depressed, I just needed something. I needed you, but you were gone. I just needed human closeness."

"And by human closeness you mean sex?"

"Stop, Peeta, I didn't mean it like that—"

"No? Then what are you saying then? You just told me you slept with him while you and I were already a full-on thing. You cheated on me."

"I did not! We all thought you were dead! It's not my fault that happened. Gale tried to kill you."  
Peeta shook his head. "Again. Why did you have sex with him, if he almost killed me?"

This stopped Katniss.

"Did you love me, Katniss?" He asked. "Is our entire relationship still an act? Is this," He pointed at her swollen belly. "An act? Did you want me to do that on purpose? So you could convince Snow? Do you even love your children?"

She sobbed in front of him and looked down. She shook her head. "Please don't make this harder than it is, Peeta!"  
"Do you love me?!" Peeta yelled. "Do you?! I need to know! If you don't love me, I'll go! Because it means this is all fake! I can't live a life like this Katniss!"  
"Okay, look!" She yelled back. "You don't understand. I haven't gotten to explain the rest. Okay?" She told him. "Will you listen to me? Do you want the truth, Peeta?"  
"Yes! Yes, I want the truth."

"Okay." Katniss sighed. She opened her mouth again, and then she thought of something. Her hands undid the buttons to her sweater, and then started to undo the ones on her nightgown.  
"What are you doing?" He asked. "No, Katniss." He placed his hands on hers. "Stop."

"I'm showing you something. Let me show you this."

"What are you doing?" He repeated.

"He hurt me."

"Who did?"

Katniss didn't reply, instead continued undoing the buttons until she reached the last one under her chest.

Now, she sat in front of Peeta, showing him her bare chest. Then she could tell that he was observing the scars.

His head tilted sideways. On her chest were red scars and darker areas of skin. The skin was a darker shade of olive. It meant they were once hickeys. Somehow he knew they didn't come from his mouth.

"What happened?"

But Katniss just looked at him.

"Katniss, what happened?"  
"He raped me." She said calmly.

Peeta's expression looked like he'd seen a ghost. Katniss buttoned up her nightgown.

"What?" He asked, his eyes wide with shock.

"Gale raped me."

His mouth dropped open and he started to panic. "Oh my god." He mumbled. Tears made their way down his face. He grabbed Katniss by the shoulders and embraced her tightly. "He raped you! Why? No! No, Katniss, he can't hurt you like that, he can't!" He cried. Katniss quickly hugged him back and tried to calm him down.

"Why didn't you tell me! Why didn't you tell me?!" He bawled into her shoulder.

"Shhh, Peeta, calm down. I'm okay—"  
"But how could he?!" She pressed his head to her shoulder and held him. "No, Katniss, he-!" He whimpered. Katniss hushed him.

"Shh," She let a few tears escape her eyes. "Peeta… it's okay, love." She told him, using the word he always said to her. She felt him shift and his muscular arms wrapped around her torso. Katniss rested her chin on his head and accommodated her body so that his head was nuzzled against her warm chest. Peeta pressed his cheek against the warm skin and breathed in her scent. She had never hugged him like this, but they both liked it. Her chest grew damp with his tears.

"Katniss?" He murmured. "Why didn't you tell me?"  
"I was too scared to tell you. I'm sorry, Peeta."

Katniss parted herself with him. He was looking down at the floor. She held his face in her hands and kissed him gently, all over. His nose, his cheeks, prominent jawline and forehead. Finally she kissed his eyelids and lifted his chin. He looked at her sadly. Peeta's hands held her waist as she sat on her knees between his legs. "I just can't imagine him all over you." He whimpered.

Katniss tilted her head and gave him a saddened look. She ran her fingers through his blond curls, pulling him close to her.

"He had no right to hurt you like that, Katniss."  
"I know."  
"I can't believe he…"  
"Shh, baby, sh." She whispered against his cheek, kissing him there. "Shh…" Katniss brought her lips close to his and brushed her lips lightly against his. Her lips continued to hover over his. Katniss took one of his hands off her waist and placed it on her stomach. He felt movement under her nightgown. He relaxed at the feeling of his children moving. She moved his hands around so he could feel more of his little twins moving. How he loved them.

As they grew in Katniss's womb, they grew in his heart. He loved them more and more every day, knowing that each day brought him closer to being able to hold his twins in his arms.

"So those memories still haunt you?"

Katniss nodded in reply.

"Is… is that why you haven't been wanting to…"

Katniss nodded again.

His brow furrowed. "Why didn't you tell me? I could've taught Gale a fucking lesson—"

"Don't swear, Peeta. Please."

He grunted. "Why, Katniss? I should've been told about this… up to 4 months ago."

"I was scared."

"Don't be afraid about telling me something like that. What did you think I was going to do?"

Katniss looked down and didn't reply.

"Hm?" He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I don't know." She whispered hoarsely.

Peeta observed her. "Wait a minute." He said. Thoughts ran through his head. Katniss raised her head to face him. He stuttered at first. "This was what was wrong." Peeta gasped. "When you kept denying that something had happened… Gale raped you; that's what happened."

She didn't speak.

"I knew it." He said in a low tone. Katniss looked shocked.

"Then why didn't you do anything?"

"What? No, no. I never would have guessed that he raped you. Never. What I meant was… I knew Gale wouldn't walk away from you without… sex. But I thought it had already happened. Before the Quarter Quell. Or perhaps before I arrived in 13."

Katniss shook her head. "It was an accident, Peeta. What he did, it—"  
"Katniss." He said it a shocked voice. "Rape isn't an accident, Katniss. It's done on purpose. To hurt someone."  
"But…"

"Why are you defending him?" He asked, with anger rising in his voice. "Did you like what he did to you? Huh? That wasn't love, nothing even close, Katniss. Rape isn't love, Katniss! Don't defend Gale! He hurt you!"

"I'm sorry! Peeta, I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said."

"Stop saying that! Stop saying that you didn't mean what you said."

Katniss stared at him sadly. "It's hard to explain! There's so much to it, and I need you to be quiet and let me say it all."

"Then say it." He spat. Katniss struggled with what to say. After several seconds of silence, Peeta stood up and left. He was irritated. He couldn't believe she was defending the man who raped her.

"Peeta!" She called, and chased after him into the hall. She grabbed his wrist and he pulled back.

"Leave me alone! Go with Gale if that's what you want!"  
"NO! I don't want to, I swear! I hated what he did! I was in intense trauma for weeks. Those words came out of me without thinking, okay?"  
Peeta took a deep breath and looked at her watering grey eyes. "I just want you to be happy."  
"Well, I'm not!" She yelled. "Please listen to me! I won't ever be happy with Gale. I'm happy with you. I can't even see Gale the same way anymore. Not after what happened to Prim, or him trying to kill you, or, of course, raping me. I need you, Peeta. I don't want to leave you and I never would."

Peeta listened at her sadly.

"Please, Peeta." She begged. "I love you."

"I still can't believe you hid this from me. For four months."

"I'm sorry, Peeta. I truly am."

"So is there anything else I should know? Did you sleep with Finnick too?"  
"Peeta. Stop."

"What's that supposed to mean? An excuse?"  
"I did not sleep with Finnick." She hissed. "He would never sleep with me. If you knew who he was, you would know he would never would do that. Please, he's married."

"You and I are basically still fiancés. Wait. Why did Gale even decide to rape you?"  
Katniss gulped. "Please forgive me. Forgive me for what I did, Peeta. I thought you were dead. That's why it happened. You should've seen me cutting myself. I swear I wasn't okay. I felt horrible. I needed that human closeness I was telling you about. But I felt guilty, knowing I was about to have intercourse with him. But he wouldn't let me go. And then he… raped me."  
Peeta suddenly felt remorseful. He didn't realize how much he meant to her in those tunnels. She needed him. The twins needed him. He had two babies to come back to. If he had died, Katniss would have followed soon after. From depression and agony. Peeta embraced her.

"Please come to bed with me." She pleaded. Peeta felt unsure. It would be strange lying next to her after she had admitted all of this. If she had told him earlier, in the Capitol, Peeta would have gone after Gale and beat the life out of him. Seeing Peeta cry made Katniss's world shatter. But she knew it was her fault he was crying. He was frustrated that he couldn't do anything about this. Gale was all the way in District 2, from what they'd heard.

He was also disappointed to know Katniss betrayed him… But she didn't expect him to come back…

Peeta started to hiccup and whimper.  
"Peeta…" Katniss murmured. She raised her hands to wipe his tears away. Suddenly, Peeta lifted his hand.

He swatted at the copper-colored glass vase on a shelf. Katniss jumped at the sound of shattering glass and gave him a shaken look. She had seen him like this before; after their Victory Tour in 11, when he was mad at both Haymitch and her. He turned to face the wall, then faced the floor, his eyes closed and his hands balled up into fists.

"Please calm down, Peeta. For me, just…" She got closer to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. When she pressed her cheek against his back, she noticed he was breathing hard. "Shhhh." His breathing eased. She ran her hands along his tense muscles. They loosened as her hands ran over him. "There you go. Just be calm. I'm okay. No one's going to hurt me."

"I needed to release some of my anger." He whispered.

"And you did. Don't break anything else. Just relax, Peeta. Okay?"

"Okay." He inhaled through his nose and exhaled through his mouth. Katniss walked around him so they faced each other. She cupped his face and pressed her lips to his forehead. Then she replaced her lips with her own forehead. "Come with me." She spoke. She led him back to the room. "I want to sleep, Peeta. Can we sleep?" Peeta nodded yes.

Despite he wasn't feeling sleepy, he still laid down with her and wrapped the covers around her body. Katniss pressed herself closely to him. Her last few tears were absorbed by his shirt. Peeta kissed her head. His body tensed up again.

Katniss's fingers played gently at his shirt's neck line. Peeta felt her fingers touch his skin in that area. She felt soft curls at his chest, and she continued to play with them.

She felt like Peeta felt unsure. Maybe he was losing feelings for her after what occurred tonight. But, as if Peeta read her thoughts, he whispered.

"I love you, Katniss. I still love you, okay? Please don't forget that, and please… never think that I don't. Please."

Katniss nodded. "Okay." She swallowed. Her body wriggled and she opened her mouth again. "Peeta… do you—"

"Shhh... Just sleep, Katniss. It's okay, I promise. It's okay."

 **And there you have it, guys.**

 **Finally, after 3/4 months, Katniss spilled her beans. I know everyone was waiting for this scene to happen. The guilt was eating her alive, you know?**


	4. Chapter 4

*****For those who suggested ideas... you know who you are.**

 **I'm not very open with suggestions because each chapter in this story has been planned out well for a while now… Unless your suggestion is small enough to fit in one part of the chapter and actually follows the plot, I may be able to take them in…** _ **maybe.**_

 **I am saying this because I got anonymous reviews last time that didn't really fit with the plot of Katniss and Peeta with their twins… yeah, that's all I have to say, thanks for reading Xx**

 _7 Months_

Peeta's head was on her stomach. She combed her fingers through his blond curls, and lightly scratched his scalp. His head had been resting on her swollen belly for a few minutes. He could hear strange sounds coming from inside Katniss's stomach. Once in a while, Peeta would snicker. He faced her feet, which were raised up on a footrest. This month had been overall, calm.

Unlike last month, where Peeta seemed shy and awkward starting the morning after Katniss told him her secret. He forgave her fully the following morning, knowing the reason she slept with Gale was because she was awfully depressed after Peeta went missing. He couldn't help but feel guilt, because if he hadn't gone after the mutts in the tunnels, she wouldn't have gotten hurt by Gale. Katniss would comfort him every time he was feeling troubled. She would kiss him softly and curl up at his side, trying to cuddle with him. And if the twins were moving, she would get one of his hands and place it on her belly. She knew that Peeta loved feeling them move. It brought him and their children closer.

"Don't cry," Katniss would murmur, when she saw tears build up in his sapphire eyes. "Please don't." Sometimes, Peeta couldn't help it, and he would let the tears fall freely. Katniss would wipe them away, and then take him in her arms, pressing his head against the hollow part of her neck. "Shhhh." She would hush him, her fingers combing through his gold locks.

Anger would run over him, and sometimes he'd break some plates. He knew he couldn't go after Gale, and this was the only way he could release his anger towards him. Katniss would watch until he was done. He would pant and tremble, covered in sweat, letting small whimpers of effort and sorrow escape his lips.

But about 2 weeks later, he was able to conceal his emotions.

Now, it had been exactly a month. Katniss's birthday was the following morning. Peeta was already 18—his birthday was in March. Katniss had never been too big on birthdays, but on Peeta's birthday, she tried to be as close to him as possible. She woke him up with kisses and was at his side the whole day. She didn't know what to expect tomorrow. Since Peeta grew up working at a bakery, there were endless possibilities.

Katniss felt a lot of sudden stirring.

"Holy crap." Peeta muttered. "It's like they're having their own Hunger Games in there."

Katniss didn't laugh at his comment. In fact, it only made her mad. Her hand stopped moving. Peeta looked up at her. Her cold stare was on him.  
"Ugh. I'm sorry. That was a dumb comment. I'm really sorry." He apologized.

Katniss's eyes flitted away. Then they looked back at him. He lifted his head off her stomach and moved so that he was sitting next to her. The windows were wet with the rain. They both gazed at the glass. Katniss looked down at her bump. It was starting to look strange. By that, it meant it was looking too big for it to seem like there was only one baby inside. The size scared her a little. But Katniss's mother kept assuring her, telling her it was normal. Katniss hadn't left the house for a few weeks. She had grown self-conscious of the large bump. She didn't want people eyeing her pregnant belly. Hell, she didn't even want anyone laying an eye or a finger on the twins once they arrived.

"Katniss."

"Mm hm?"  
Peeta moved so that he was facing her. "We need names. For real, we need them."  
"I'm not in a rush. There's two months left."

"I know. It's just, we haven't spoken seriously about names. Plus, there two babies in there. We need two boy names and two girl names, in case we get two of the same gender. Otherwise, if we get one of each, we'll choose our favorites."

Katniss nodded. "Okay. You go first."

"If they're girls...?"  
"Whatever you want."

Peeta snickered. "Pff. Okay. Um…" His lips pursed and puckered. "Well… I don't know, do you want it to be like a flower or something?"  
"Sure."  
Peeta sighed. "Alright." He bit his lip. "Blossom?"  
Katniss wrinkled her nose. "Yuck."

"Nerine."  
"That's old. And no. Too many memories associated with it."

"Tawny?"  
"Tawny? Why Tawny? Wasn't that the name of that little girl…? From 13?"  
"Yeah."  
"That's weird. I say no."  
"Daisy?"

Katniss shook her head.

"Iris? Petunia? Sky? Holly? Dawn? None of those?"

"No. They sound... well… I don't know. I just don't like any of them." Katniss shrugged. Peeta bit his lip.

"How about you give it a try?"  
She shook her head. "I don't know what I want to name them. Just give me more options."  
"Well, let's try boy names. Um…" Peeta sighed and stuck out his bottom lip. "River… Ash—"

"Not Ash."  
"It's a tree, I didn't mean it as the fire-ash."  
"I know, but still."

"How about River?"  
Katniss scowled and then groaned. "Can we just not worry about this now? We can wait until they're born."  
"Are you sure you want to?"  
"Yes. It doesn't really matter if we decide two months from now, but I just don't feel like deciding any names at the moment."  
"Okay." Peeta replied. Katniss moved so that her head was resting under his chin. She snuggled closer and Peeta wrapped his arms around her. "It would be nice if it was a boy and a girl."  
"I think they're both girls."  
"Oh." Peeta looked down at her. "And why both?"  
"I had this feeling, back in 13. I had a feeling it was a girl. But now I think there are two."

"You had a feeling? How so?" He asked.  
"I don't know, but I just have a feeling… that there's two girls in there."  
"I wouldn't mind having a pair of girlies. Hopefully, if they are girls, they look like you."  
"They probably will. Because we would be the same gender."  
"Well actually, who knows? Not all daughters look like their mothers, and it's the same thing with sons and fathers. But you look more like your dad." Peeta mentioned. "You have his eyes and skin and hair and everything. You have your mother's nose, but other than that you look a lot like you're dad." Katniss nodded.

"I think so too." She said softly. "Prim looks like my mom."

"She does. My brothers used to say I looked like our mother. But it all depends on genetics. They may look like me if they're girls."  
Katniss furrowed her brow. "That's weird to imagine."  
"It is. Until the babies are born, it won't seem weird anymore."

…

When evening fell, Katniss fell asleep in Peeta's arms. He carried her to the room and accommodated her into the sheets. It was 8 PM, and Peeta wasn't feeling sleepy, so he stayed up.

Katniss slept peacefully- for an hour or so. Around 11:30 PM, a nightmare began to stir in her head.

She was running in a forest at night.

Peeta's voice could be heard in the distance. He was calling for her, desperately. The dark made everything hard to see, so Katniss continued crashing into and tripping over things. She tripped over rocks and logs and crashed into trees and boulders. She got weaker the more and more she fell and collided with something. Wolf and lizard mutts were not far behind. A few of the muttations surrounded her and a lizard mutt crawled quickly towards her, its sharp teeth sinking into her arm as a wolf mutt grabbed onto her leg. She screamed and thrashed, trying to fight them off. A child's screaming echoed through the forest. Two children. The mutts disappeared and left Katniss bloody and weak on the forest floor. The screaming continued. Katniss slowly stood up looking around. The screaming came from far away, and it sounded like the cries belonged to young children. Katniss started to run towards the source of the screaming.

Katniss felt light headed but she continued chasing the screams. The screaming belonged to two blond little boys, about 5 years old. Katniss did not recognize them. They were being surrounded by mutts. Katniss had almost reached them when she was knocked to the ground. She looked up at Gale. Katniss started to wriggle away from him.

"No. No! Please, no!" She begged. The little boys screamed when they saw Katniss get shoved.

"Mommy!" They screamed.

When she heard it, Katniss froze. They were hers. Her little boys. Katniss shoved Gale away from her. "Get off!" Gale punched her in the face and she fell to the ground. She scampered away from him, towards the twins, and the mutts hissed and growled at her.

But how would she rescue them? Where was Peeta? He had been calling for her earlier. He had to come for them. Gale pushed Katniss onto her back and tied a cloth around her mouth. He held her hands behind her back and pulled at her hair, forcing her to look at her twins.

" **Look, Katniss."** He hissed through gritted teeth. Her eyes opened just to see a mutt lunging at the one of the boys. It attacked him and the other boy screamed. Katniss thrashed in Gale's grasp, crying. She kept screaming as she watched the mutts tear at the young boys, and then she woke.

Her body felt cold with sweat. The room was dark and Peeta wasn't in bed. She eased her breathing and wiped her sweat away. Then her hands went to her stomach. "It's okay." She whispered. The bedroom door was opened slightly, and dim golden light was peeking through the opened door slit. She felt confused to why Peeta wasn't in bed with her. She got out of bed and placed her hand on the corner of the bed headrest. Peeta's robe was hanging off the headrest, so she took it with her and wrapped the thick, fleecy coat around her shivering body.

She opened the door and heard quiet voices. The light was coming from the fireplace downstairs. Katniss peeked her head over the stair railing and saw Peeta and Haymitch speaking with each other. She listened to them.

"I'm excited." Peeta spoke. "Katniss is scared. She never wanted kids. I mean, you should've seen her face the first time they moved. She got terrified."  
Katniss walked down the first two steps on the stairs, and then crouched down on the staircase, holding onto the railing. She continued listening to their conversation. Haymitch took a swig of the bottle he had in his hand. And nodded.

"Well she will love them, I can tell you that." Haymitch noted.

"Yeah. She's just scared of losing them, that's all. I am too. But her fear is stronger than mine.

"You're more of an optimist than she is, anyways. Not calling her a pessimist… but… you know. She has trouble seeing the good side of things."  
"She _is_ trying to see the good side of having them, though. If we did lose them she would feel ashamed."  
"No doubt about it. She'd love those things more than she loves her sister."

Peeta bit his lip. "What makes you think that?"

"People tend to love their kids more than they love their sibling."  
"Prim _is_ like her kid though." Peeta started.  
"But did she have her? No."

Katniss started to get irritated.

"Change of subject." Peeta told Haymitch. "Can I ask you a question?"  
"You just did." He took a mouthful from his bottle.

Peeta scoffed. Then he was serious. "Um… has… Has Katniss ever told you… about… um…?"

Katniss stood up and went down the stairs. She walked up behind Peeta's chair. "About what?" She burst, surprising both of the men. Peeta turned around.

"Hey."

"Why aren't you in bed?" She asked with an edge in her voice. Haymitch snickered at her question. Katniss shot him a stare. Her eyes flitted down at the gold colored bottle in his hand. "Alcohol is not allowed in this house once the twins are born, you understand?" She quickly spat. Then she looked back at her lover.

"I wasn't sleepy." Peeta told her. "I was going to go back up but he came for a visit." She nodded and sighed at his response. Then she sat down next to Peeta on the couch he was sitting on. The robe opened up a bit, revealing her large belly behind her nightgown.

"Did you hear what I said, Haymitch?"

"Yeah. About alcohol and twins, I heard you."  
"You better not drink, either." Peeta said.

"But I don't drink."

Peeta rolled his eyes jokingly. "Mm hm…"

"I don't! It was only that one time after the Quarter Quell announcement. I won't drink, I promise. I don't even like it anymore."

Haymitch tilted his head to the side and Katniss saw his eyes looking at her body. "Well you're on a roll, aren't you? That belly's getting pretty big." Katniss quickly covered the bump with the robe, embarrassed. "How many months has it been, sweetheart? Six?"  
"Seven." She corrected him.

"Seven!" He laughed. He continued laughing until it got on Katniss's nerves. She stood up.

"Where are you going?" Peeta asked.

"I'm thirsty." Katniss informed him. She headed to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. A plate of cheese buns on the counter caught her eye.

"Don't eat the cheese buns, Katniss." Peeta called from the living room, as if he knew she was tempted to eat them.

"I won't." Katniss served herself a glass of milk and sipped from it. Peeta looked back, behind him. He saw Katniss sitting at the table in the kitchen. She was balancing the small cup of milk on the top of her belly. Peeta smiled.

 **Hope you guys liked this chapter! Sorry updating is slow, but I still have stuff to do in summer… sadly. Also I'm writing 2 stories at the same time… so its juggling here you knooowww**


	5. Chapter 5

**Please leave a review and tell me what you think! If you haven't already… check out my other story, Lovely Bones? Thanks guyssss!**

 _8 Months_

"How have you been feeling?" Lily asked Katniss.

"Fine." She told her. Katniss liked to hide her stomach away from the entire world now. She didn't like letting her mother, or Prim, not even Peeta see it anymore. It made her self-conscious. She hid it with robes. It had been almost 9 months. They were 2 weeks away from the twins' due date, and there were still no names. Katniss was 18 now; and Prim was 14. Lily thought it was good now that Katniss was 18. 18 meant Katniss was officially an adult.

Katniss was more anxious of raising the twins than giving birth to them. Lily told her that if there were complications, they would have to take Katniss to the small new hospital (that Lily and Prim both worked at occasionally) here in 12. But it was unlikely to happen, with the superior medicine that the factory-which was also new-was producing.

Katniss and her mother were in the living room while Peeta was baking. Katniss kept her eyes glued on the floor, her eyes not moving from there. Right now, Katniss and Peeta were visiting Lily and Prim in their house.

"A lot of stirring?"

"Yeah." Katniss said. "I feel kicks more often now." It was noon. Lily had come over for a visit.

"How are the stretch marks?" Her mother asked.

"Doing better." Katniss rubbed her belly.

"Eating well?"

"Yes. Green and leafy vegetables like you said."

Peeta called from the kitchen. "I've been keeping my eye on her, Lily." Lily smiled. "We took it easy on cheese buns. Didn't we, Katniss?"  
"Mm." She sounded unamused. Peeta followed Lily's orders very well, and she liked how responsible Peeta was. It showed how much he cared for the twins, despite he hadn't met them yet.

"Do your feet hurt?"  
"My feet?" Katniss sounded confused. She looked up to meet her mother's blue gaze.

"Yes. It's common for pregnant women to have sore feet." Katniss shook her head.

"Well, they don't feel sore or anything. Is that a good thing?"  
Lily nodded. "It is. It appears like your pregnancy is doing pretty well."  
"Yippee!" Peeta chimed from the kitchen. His cheering brought a small smile to her face. The twins kicked and stirred.

"Stop it." She murmured. She poked her belly and the twins kicked back. "Quit it." She said louder. They continued moving and Katniss grunted. "Mom, can't you just cut me open now?"

"I'm afraid I can't. They still have two weeks to go. It wouldn't be good for them."  
She groaned. "I can barely sleep because of them."  
"They're going to be more of a pain once they get out, trust me. There's going to be a lot of crying for the first several weeks. But it all depends on the baby. You cried a lot during your first weeks. You would wake up every hour. Unlike your sister. She was overall, a calm one."

"So you're saying I was a loud baby?"  
Lily smiled and chuckled. "Yes. But the first child is always harder to raise."

Peeta came into the living room. "I suppose I was pretty easy to raise, then." Katniss snickered.

"Were you a second child, Peeta?" Lily asked him.  
"No, I was the third."

"Oh, then you must have been easy, yes." Peeta smiled and nodded. Katniss closed her eyes and her head fell back. She sighed and yawned.

"Tired?" Peeta asked. Katniss nodded. She resulted in falling asleep. The last thing she heard was Prim enter the house.

…

Katniss woke bundled in warmth. Her eyes opened slowly and she realized she was in bed. It was still day time. The dark brown curtains were drawn closed, which was filtering the sunlight, making copper-colored sunlight shine on the dim room's ceiling. There were voices downstairs. She could tell that it was her family and Peeta. Her belly made a tent in the blankets. She stroked her bump and then slowly sat up. Katniss stripped herself of her robe and sweater, leaving her with a tank top and sweats. She was able to stand up and waddle towards the door slowly. She opened the closed door and took a step out, and it triggered something.

There was splash on the carpet. Katniss glared at the wall in shock, holding onto the door framing for support. She waited until it was over. Her breath caught and she looked down at her belly. Her legs were soaked and her feet were too. Her mouth dropped open at the stain of fluid on the carpet. She trembled and gasped loudly, covering her mouth with her hand. Then she was greeted by pain in her abdomen, similar to the pain she'd have during her menstrual cycle, except it was incredibly painful. Katniss let out a sharp cry. Downstairs, Peeta and her family were silenced.

"Katniss?" Peeta called loudly. He heard her murmuring.

"Oh no. No, no, no," She panted. She slid down to the floor and started to hyperventilate.

"Katniss, what's wrong?!" She started to sob and make her choking noises. Footsteps filled the house and Peeta and Lily started to run up the stairs. Peeta found her on the floor with her eyes and her mouth wide open in terror. She met Peeta's shocked gaze for a second before Lily saw the stain on the carpet.

"What happened?!" Prim called from downstairs.

"Her water broke! I need you to get the kit with the supplies and everything else, okay?" She ordered Prim.  
"Okay!" She replied back. Peeta and Lily rushed to her side. Katniss stuttered and her lip trembled. She was going into shock.  
"What's happening?!" Peeta exclaimed. He held one of her hands in his and rubbed his other hand up and down her back. Katniss trembled next to his body and whimpered, looking down between her legs. "I'm here." He whispered to her soothingly.

"Her water broke."

Katniss was breathing heavily and looked traumatised. She had no idea if the twins were arriving, or if it was something bad…

Her body jerked with her cries. "What on earth does that mean?! Is that bad!?" Peeta exclaimed.

"It's normal, it happens in majority of pregnancies. It's just…"

"What? What is it?" Lily didn't answer him.

"Help me pick her up." Lily told him. "We need to take her to guest room."

"No, it's okay. I got her. I can carry her." Peeta said, placing Katniss's shuddering arms around his neck. "Easy, Katniss, just be calm. You're going to be okay." His lover replied with a whimper. Lily opened the guest room door and sorted the twin bed out for Katniss. She clutched her lower belly and groaned. "What's wrong?" He asked her. Katniss wheezed and stuttered. Peeta laid her down on the small bed. Her face was starting to shine with sweat. She looked like she was in pain.

"Please tell me what's going on!" Peeta begged Katniss's mother.

"She's going into labor." She confessed.

" _What?!"_ Peeta exclaimed. His hands flew to his head. "Oh, shit." He whispered. "But she's not due for… for, for like—"

"Mom, I can't be going into labor, though." Katniss winced. "This can't be happening, this can't be ...Oh god." She grunted. "Why does this—" She was cut off by her own scream, which threw Peeta into disarray. Prim entered the room with a kit and a few extra towels. She set them down and took out a nightgown of the pile of towels.

"Katniss, you need to change into this, okay?" Lily instructed her eldest daughter.  
"—how?!"

"We'll help you. It's going to be okay." Lily started to peel off Katniss's wet pants and underwear as Prim took charge of helping Katniss out of her tank top and her bra. Katniss grumbled. Lily slipped the nightgown over her head and was able to lift her back onto the bed.

"What do I do?" Peeta burst. "I can help you two. Please tell me what I can do to help."

"Come with me." Prim told him. He followed her out of the room and into a separate room filled with medical supplies.

Prim took out a small tub from a cupboard that looked like it would be used for dishes. "I need the other one of this." She told him. They looked for it together.

"What are they for?"  
"We're going to place the twins in them. We need to fill these up with warm water." Peeta stood still and watched Prim search for the other small tub.

"Oh my god." He gasped. Prim turned around to face him in an amazed expression. It looked like he was looking at the galaxies. He looked even more amazed because he was facing the window, so sunlight fell directly on his eyes, making them look a bright, cheerful blue. His hair was illuminated by the light as well. "Katniss is giving birth to my twins." Prim nodded, weirded out.

"…Yeah."

"Katniss is giving birth! To _my_ twins!" He shouted. His hands got tangled in his curls. "It's actually happening."  
"Yup! And if you want to see them, you better help me." Prim chuckled.

"Okay." He said excitedly. Prim found the other tub and then she got two other ones that were wider. Peeta and Prim filled two tubs with lukewarm water in the bathroom. In there, Peeta heard Katniss whine to her mother.

"Peeta? Where is he? I need him here. Mom, please—please tell him to come ba—" She was cut off by a scream. Peeta got desperate to be there by her side.

"You better get over there before she gets angry." Prim handed him the water-filled tubs. Lily and Katniss's conversation could be heard perfectly.

"Isn't there something that will make it stop?!" Katniss screamed. "This is too much…" She complained.

"I'll give you pills… they don't make it stop, but it will reduce the pain a bit. Just let me find them." Lily replied calmly. Katniss squeaked.

"Fuck! Mom, please! I need them now!"

Prim instructed him to take the two tubs back into the guest room. Peeta quickly sped walk back to the room, AND Prim came in shortly. Peeta placed the tubs down on the counter in front of Katniss's bed. She was sitting up, her eyes closed. She took deep breaths, holding her stomach, as her mother searched in a white kit and got towels underneath Katniss's hips and legs. Katniss's eyes opened to see Peeta.

"Peeta, please-" She winced. "Come here," She demanded and reached for him. Peeta rushed to her side and got down on his knees. She breathed deeply and looked distressed. She winced and then spoke to Peeta. "I just don't understand-! They're not supposed to arrive yet," Katniss whined. "Why is this happening now?!" Her voice raised, so Peeta quieted her with soft shushing noic.

"Found that medicine yet?" He asked Lily.

"Should be in here somewhere." Prim left and then walked into the room holding a small white container and a glass of water. After realizing Prim had the pills, Lily got a chair and placed it at the end of the bed, then tucked more towels under Katniss's hips.

"Found 'em." She quickly handed the glass to Katniss and took out two pills. Katniss quickly took them in her mouth. The taste was vulgar, so she hurriedly chugged the whole glass of water.

"Easy, don't chug it like that." Peeta cautioned her. "It's going to be okay."  
"Mom," Katniss called. "Isn't this bad? They're early."

Lily pursed her lips. "I think it's going to be okay. It's two weeks only. Prim was born a week before her supposed due date."

"But this is two…"  
"I assure you it'll be okay. Don't worry about them."  
"Even if something is wrong, we know where to go." Peeta calmed her. Prim was placing towels into the empty tubs that she brought with her. Katniss observed her.

"Katniss," Lily said. Katniss looked back at her. "Okay. I need to check if you're dilated enough. You probably aren't… but I need to see how you're going here."  
"I have no idea what that means. But fine." Katniss spread her legs slightly, embarrassed to have her mother observing at her crotch. Her mother spread her legs further apart. The twins stirred and Katniss gasped. Peeta gave her a concerned look. "I'm fine. They're moving."  
"I can't believe this is happening." Peeta kissed her hand.

"You still have a quite a bit to go." Lily told her. "This might take… perhaps… five to ten minutes."  
"Shit." She cussed. Peeta petted her head and Katniss slid down the bed slightly.

"Do you want to lay down?" Peeta said. Then he turned to Lily. "Is it alright if she lays down?"  
"Yes, it's fine. Just keep her head elevated." Peeta nodded and helped Katniss accommodate herself. She whimpered. "Are you alright, Katniss?"  
"-no…!" She shrieked. "This hurts! Of course I'm not okay!" Prim approached her at the other side, wiping sweat away from her sister's face with a cloth.

"Here." Prim took an elastic band off her wrist and raised Katniss's head slightly. Then she made a high pony in her dark hair, so she would be able to rest her head on the pillows without probing.

"Thank you." Katniss whispered. Her hands fisted in the sheets, and Peeta saw this. It reminded him off a few nights when they had intercourse. It was a strange thing to be thinking about now; his partner was giving birth. Peeta pressed his cheek against her forehead.

"I feel like those pills didn't work… please give me something!" Katniss begged. Lily looked at Prim.

"Give her the epidural and the morphling." Prim quickly scrambled to the counter and took out needles and filled them both with a clear liquid. She went back to Katniss.

"I need you to sit up. These goes in your lower back." Katniss gave Peeta a worried stare. _Two needles?_ Peeta helped her sit up and he undid the buttons on the back of her nightgown. Prim's small fingers probed at an area near her hips. Peeta held her hand and she squeezed it when she felt one of the thin needles pierce her skin. A squeal came from the back of her throat.

"You might get drowsy from these, Katniss." Prim told her as she injected the drug. "You probably well. Now for number two. Ready?" Katniss nodded.

"Yeah. Just give it to me." The last time Peeta heard that was about 9 months ago. It was probably one of the best things he'd ever heard come out of Katniss's mouth; because it turned him on insanely.

"There. Drugs are in. They're mainly for when you actually start to push. They might help with contractions. But it's not likely."  
"Ugh." Katniss rubbed her back and was helped onto her back again. "Mom, how am I doing?"  
"I'd say about three more minutes. Five maximum."

"You're doing great," He told her.

"I'm not even doing anything," Katniss scowled. "I'm just… I'm not doing anything at all!"

"Hush. Calm down."  
Katniss winced. "How I am I supposed to do that…? You're not the one who's pushing a baby out of their vagina. Two babies, actually. It's hard to stay—Fuck! - Calm!" She hissed through gritted teeth. Peeta let himself chuckle. She was getting cranky. He knew that seeing him laugh would only make her mood worse. Maybe the drugs were already making her mind hazy.

Katniss had always been funny when she was drugged. She said strange things she usually never would say. Sometimes she'd admit to things. When she was drugged in the Capitol, she admitted to things Peeta found funny.

…

She lay on her back in her hospital bed in the Capitol, drugged with morphling and hooked up to her machines. Peeta laid on his side next to her, keeping her company. She was under the covers while he was laying over top of them. "And I almost killed that bitch."  
"What bitch?" Peeta asked one day.

"Buttercup. That bitch."  
"One, he's a cat. Two, he's a _he._ "

"Man- cat- bitch." Katniss murmured. "I put his head in a bucket but he scratched me and it was craaaazzyyy…"

"Mm hm?" Peeta smirked. Her eyes kept opening and closing.

"How much morphling did they give me?"  
"Enough to make you noticeably drugged."  
"My head hurts." She complained.

"You got a concussion. That's why."

"Awesome." She moaned. "I'm sleepy."  
"Well you're more than welcome to sleep." He told her, stroking her cheek. "I think that'd be good for you."  
"Then shut up."

…

"You're not even pushing them out, yet, Everdeen." Peeta chuckled.

"He's right. You're just getting contractions, the worse is yet to come. But we're here to help you. The painful part will all be over fast, and before you know it, the twins will be here."

"What happens if I'm labor for a day or something?" Katniss grimaced. "I've heard of women in labor for 24 hours."

Her mother replied with a soothing and calm voice. "Loosen up a bit, Katniss. That won't happen. You're healthy and stayed healthy throughout your pregnancy. It will only take a few minutes to get each one out, I promise. Just be calm and everything will turn out fine."

Katniss responded with a high pitched whimper.

"Shh, relax." Peeta whispered against her temple. "It's going to be okay."

Groans and whimpers escaped her lips and she squeezed Peeta's hand. Her eyes closed and she exhaled through her mouth. Peeta observed her face. Her brow would furrow when a contraction came in hard. She panted softly.

A yelp escaped her lips. "Katniss," Her mother said. "You're ready."

"Oh no." Katniss whimpered. "No." Her chest heaved quickly.

"Be calm, okay? Just be calm, we're here to help you through it." Peeta told her.  
"I'm worried about them, though!" She squeaked. "They're not officially 9 months yet!" Katniss's reply ended with a scream, sending Peeta's lips to her temple.

"It's okay." He whispered. He didn't like hearing her scream. It worried him more and more, since her cries were getting more intense and louder.

" _Almost_ nine months. At least they aren't a month early, right? It's just two weeks. Plus, there's the hospital nearby in case something _is_ wrong." Prim wiped sweat off Katniss's face. It wasn't long when until Lily started to Katniss to push. She dreaded hearing the word 'push' now. When Lily first said it, Katniss looked extremely anxious. Her eyes shut tightly and she released sounds of effort, then a shrill scream. Her hand clenched Peeta's and she felt his other hand petting her head.

"That's it." Peeta spoke to her softly. He sounded so calm.

"Push, Katniss. Keep going."

She grunted and her head fell to the side of the pillow, her forehead touching Peeta's chest. Realizing this, she buried her face there and Peeta pressed her head closer. He kissed her head. "Come on, Katniss." Katniss whimpered and cried. She pushed for a quick second, making a cry escape her lips.

"Take a break for ten seconds, okay?" Lily said. Katniss pulled her head away, so she looked down at her legs. Her breathing was fast.

"Deep breaths." Peeta told her. She didn't listen. "Like this, okay? Do what I do." Katniss's eyes looked at his. Peeta inhaled through his nose and exhaled through his mouth.

Katniss imitated him, breathing in and out when he did.

"There you go. Keep doing that, sweetheart."

 **OoOo**

 **I'll try to post FAST**

 **I'LL TRY! Leave a review?**


	6. Chapter 6

**(The twins are coming!)**

Katniss listened to her mother countdown from 10, and once she reached 1, Katniss started to push again. Peeta started to worry more and more, seeing the love of his life in so much pain hurt him. He would kiss her hand and her sweaty forehead continuously, encouraging her.

"-This hurts!" She complained.

"I know it does. But you're doing amazing." Peeta exclaimed. Katniss stuttered and mumbled. "Keep pushing, okay? The more you do, the faster this'll pass."  
"Okay." Katniss replied with a shaky voice. Her eyes kept sealing shut. Peeta looked at Katniss's legs, and saw blood on the side of her inner thighs. His eyes widened in shock and worry. Lily saw this.

"It's okay. She'll be okay."

"Are you sure?"

"She hasn't lost any significant amount of blood. She's doing great so far." Peeta smiled and looked back at Katniss' reddened face.

His fears at the moment were losing Katniss or one of the twins, or all three. He shook those thoughts from his mind.

"Did you hear that?" Peeta asked her with a small smile on his face. "You're doing great."

Katniss didn't like nor dislike how encouraging he was. She didn't care. She wanted this to be over. The pain was too much for her. It was stronger than anything else she had felt. She felt something soft wipe her cheeks, her upper lip and her forehead.

Prim helped Katniss sit up a bit more. Suddenly, the pain shot upwards. Katniss let out a long and frustrated sounding scream. She stopped pushing. Her eyes flew open and met Peeta's.

"Are you okay? Can you manage the pain?"

"No! I'm not okay- I can't do this!" She cried, shaking her head. "It's too much, it hurts too much! Please don't make me do this!"

"Katniss, you have to. Otherwise… look, you can't stop. This is happening and we can't make it stop. We have to finish this, okay? I believe in you. You can do it, sweetheart. Be strong for me. I know you are." Peeta begged. "Just keep going. Push. For me, okay? For them. You have to get them out. They're ready to be delivered." Katniss hesitantly pushed for a quick second, then stopped after releasing a squeak. Her hand squeezed his. She pushed.

"Peeta-!" She yelped.

"I know… I know."

"Mom! Mom, please…"

"Almost there. First one is almost there. Push for a few more seconds. Prim, I need you here now."  
Prim left Katniss's side and went to where Lily was. Her blue eyes widened and she gasped. "I can see the head. You can do it, Katniss! Just a little bit more." Katniss panted. Peeta placed his other hand on her shoulder.

"Breathe in with me." Peeta said. Katniss opened her eyes and observed him. "That's it." He nodded. "There you go, try to keep up that pattern." She continued it, until 5 seconds passed and Katniss shrieked and tense up, almost crumpling into a ball. Her cries seemed louder and higher pitched for a split second.

But then, it hit him.

That wasn't Katniss screaming.

His first child had just been born. A numb feeling of excitement washed over him. It was a raspy, ear-piercing screaming. Katniss stopped screaming. The same feeling ran over her. Her eyes stared at the ceiling as she took in the sound of the baby screaming. _Her_ baby. Her _and Peeta's_ baby.

His hand left hers. Peeta watched Lily cut the cord and tie it. He stared in awe at his child. Prim had a small smile on her face as Lily placed the newborn in her arms, which had a white towel draped across them. The infant wriggled and screamed. Prim passed the baby into his arms. "Shh. Your daddy's here. Don't cry." She spoke calmly. Peeta held his arms out. Prim placed the small newborn in its father's arms. The baby coughed and Peeta tried to wrap its small, slimy and slick body in the towel. He went back to Katniss's side. "Katniss, look!" He exclaimed. Her head turned and her eyes grew at the sight of the baby. Her mouth dropped open and she reached for one of the baby's hands. The surprised look went away and love and adoration could be seen in her grey eyes. The baby's small hand wrapped around Katniss's finger, but it continued wailing.

"A boy?"  
"Yeah." Peeta smiled. "Shh, it's okay." He told his baby. "You're safe." Gently, he lowered him onto his mother's chest. Her hands shook as they slid under the baby's small body, which was covered with the towel. She cupped the back of his tiny head and placed his body on her forearm, so he faced her. Her eyes ran over each detail on him. Through the substances covering the baby's head, Katniss could see thin strands of gold. "Oh." Katniss gasped as she held him close to her. A small smile appeared on her face. She struggled on what to say- So she just looked down at the small being, whose cries had grown quieter because Peeta had warmed him up in the towel. Peeta was kneeling next to her, also taking in the view of their baby. Prim came onto the other side, joining them. The baby boy's eyes flickered open. A surge of surprise and love ran over Katniss. Small, icy, silvery grey eyes looked up at her. Peeta raised his eyebrows when he saw his son's eyes. He looked back at Katniss, whose attention was absorbed by the baby. "He has your eyes." Prim noted.

Katniss nodded. "Dad's eyes." Slowly, her smile widened until she was laughing softly.

"Do you feel okay?" Prim asked. Katniss nuzzled her nose with her son.

"I suppose. For now." Peeta slipped a finger through the baby's fingers until Prim told them that he needed to be cleaned up. She took the baby in her arms and brought him to one of the tubs. When she took the towel away, the baby wailed. Prim slowly submerged his delicate body in the warm water, and his cries subsided. Gently cleaning away the substances that covered him, the baby only whimpered silently. With a small towel she wiped his face as he gurgled and whimpered. His chubby limbs splashed in the water. Once he was clean, Prim got a new towel and dried him off. She gently patted his head dry until a small and thin layer of soft, downy blond hair could be seen. Prim allowed herself to softly stroke the infant's silky hair with her fingertips. His eyes opened and he looked up at Prim as she bundled him up. It was hard to tell who he looked like. But so far, he looked like his mother because of his grey eyes.

"The next one should be here soon." Lily informed Katniss. She nodded.

"Just one more to go." Peeta told her. "Then you're done." He looked in the direction he heard his baby gurgling. He saw Prim wrapping the infant in a white towel and he smiled. It didn't feel real. The fact that he was the father to Katniss's children. It filled him with joy. He never would have thought this would happen. He dreamed about it, but never thought it'd happen so early.

In a matter of seconds, Katniss started to wince and admit to starting to feel pain again. "I wish there was only one of them." She grimaced. "Not…two." Then she realized how harsh her comment sounded.

She sucked in a breath and held onto Peeta's hand tightly.

"Ready?" Peeta asked.

"Yes." Katniss still felt anxious, though. The pain scared her, but she felt like this time, pushing might be easier. Katniss's eyes closed and she started to release sounds of effort. Peeta held her hand in both of his. Every time Katniss would squeeze his hand, he squeezed back- just not as hard.

"It'll be easier this time Katniss." He whispered. He wasn't sure about that, actually. He was guessing.

Seeing Katniss in pain was his weakness. It made him want to pull her into his arms and make her feel safe and sound. In fact, it reminded him of his and Katniss's first time making love.

* * *

On the first night of their intimacy, Peeta told her to tell him if she felt pain. He was scared of hurting her, so when she let out a yelp when he first pushed inside of her, he quickly pulled out and held her in his arms, asking her if she was okay, and telling her he was sorry.

"Peeta." She'd said, looking into his eyes with love. "Its fine."  
"No. No, I hurt you. I don't want you to feel any pain." Peeta told her. "I want you to feel something… nice. I want to make you feel good."

"It did. Peeta it was…. A good kind of pain. You weren't hurting me in any way."  
"Are you sure? Katniss, please, _please_ tell me if you don't feel right. Or if you want me to stop."

"I will. But I promise you that I feel fine. It's okay."

* * *

Like Peeta had said, getting the last twin out was easier. Peeta looked at Lily, who had just cut the cord and tied it and was now holding the second baby.

There was no crying. Only Katniss's lowering grunts and the baby boy's quiet whimpers and blubs. Katniss's noises subsided but she didn't feel pain anymore. She kept her eyes closed, waiting to hear her baby cry. Prim was looking back at them, the boy in her arms, with her blue eyes open in shock. Why wasn't the baby crying?

Peeta looked at the newborn, noticing it was immobile in its grandmother's arms. He waited to hear something. Everyone in the room was scared because of the silence. Katniss's eyes opened. She looked around, without moving her head. Why was it so quiet? Peeta's hand was motionless in hers. Katniss sucked in a breath that was like a gasp.

Lily flipped the baby over onto its belly on her arm and was about to start giving back blows, before there was a coughing noise. The baby in Lily's arms started to cough. Immediately, the baby burst into tears and its small limbs flailed. Lily allowed herself to smile lightly. Prim placed the baby boy in the tub that had a towel stretched out inside. She quickly got a new towel and got to her mother's side, ready to receive the second twin. "She's fine! She's okay and breathing." Prim told everyone. Katniss exhaled.

"A girl?" Peeta asked excitedly. "Is it a she?!" He exclaimed.  
"Yes!" Prim laughed. Peeta kissed Katniss's forehead.  
"A girl…?" Katniss murmured, lifting her head.

"Yeah. We have a boy and a girl, Katniss."

"Go see her." She told him. He walked over to Prim who had already started bathing the baby girl as Lily attended to Katniss. Peeta smiled as he saw his daughter. Her hair color popped against her pinkish skin. She had Katniss's dark hair matted on her head. Her mouth gaped open, releasing a cry. Peeta smiled and held one of her tiny hands.

Once she was clean, Peeta helped Prim dry the infant and bundle her up. Prim let Peeta hold the girl as she fetched the boy. They both walked to Katniss's side. She turned to face her lover and her sister holding the twins. Peeta placed their daughter on Katniss's chest.

"This one's the girl?" She asked.

"Yeah." He confirmed. Prim gave him the male. Lily brought him a chair and he sat down right next to Katniss, holding his son. Katniss watched her daughter doze off again and pressed her cheek against her forehead. Katniss held their daughter while Peeta held their son. As he held him, Peeta saw the golden hair on his son's head. He looked up at Katniss who had her eyes closed as she kept her cheek pressed against the infant's forehead. Every once in a while, one of the babies would whimper. Prim and Lily circled around Katniss's bed, observing each twin.

 _Have you ever had a feeling,_

 _That we're not alone?_

The baby boy's eyes opened again, revealing Seam eyes. His little mouth was open and his tongue would lick his lips, then he yawned. Peeta chuckled and kissed his tiny nose. The twin looked up at his father, registering his face in his mind. Katniss reached for the baby boy, stroking his cheek.

This was really happening. She was really a mother now. A mother to Peeta's perfect twins. Joy washed over her, making a smile approach her face. She wasn't scared anymore. The feeling these two had brought with them felt eternal. She loved them so much. They were both so perfect, having the best of her and Peeta mixed together. They were really theirs. Their flesh and blood combined. Katniss didn't care that her mother and Prim were standing right there. So she cupped Peeta's cheek with one hand and led his lips to hers. Peeta kissed her back. "Thank you." Peeta whispered very quietly against her lips. She was going to ask for what, but she was able to find out herself.

He was thanking her for the twins. For being strong. For not taking those abortion pills. For accepting the fact that she had to win and end the war; _for them._

"Congratulations." Prim smiled.

"Thank you." Katniss replied.

Prim took the elastic out of her sister's hair so it fell back into its normal place. Katniss then held her daughter against her chest and the baby's hands stretched out wards and one of her fists grabbed onto some of Katniss's hair. Her eyes were still closed as she tugged. Katniss slipped her hair out of the baby's hand and then leaned forward to give her a soft kiss. She was stopped when the infant's fist hit Katniss's chest, as if telling her to not get any closer. Everyone laughed except Katniss. She just blushed and looked at them, feeling embarrassed that her baby- that was just 7 minutes old- had already beat her mother at a game.

"Well would you look at that," Peeta smiled. "She's already a fighter."

 **I am not going to be naming their twins Willow and Rye, and I decided this in February of this year. I already know what they will be named, and I'm doing this because I believe Katniss and Peeta would have had a different perspective of naming their kids at the age of 18. I'm just trying to make it a little more reasonable and realistic.**

 **So if you feel the need to tell me my story sucks or something, go ahead. I'm not changing my story for a handful of people because I know there are another million people who could stumble upon this story and like it for what it is.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I started school today… I suck at updating you guys I'm really sorry. Please leave a review! Check out my story Lovely Bones?**

"It'd be good for you to sleep, Katniss. Do want to be with the twins? Or should we take them? Do you want to be alone?" He asked her before she went to sleep. Still drugged from morphling, Katniss just shrugged and murmured, "Okay," And let her head fall to the side. Peeta kissed her forehead and then took the twins downstairs with Prim while Lily stayed by Katniss's side until she fell asleep. Katniss wasn't sleeping now, but was drowsy and relaxed with the drugs. Lily and Katniss would ask each other questions. Lily asked about names for the twins.

"I don't… know…" Katniss moaned.

"Does Peeta have ideas, Katniss?"

"No. Yes. I don't know. Maybe. But I don't wanna name them." She yawned. "Why do I feel so weird?"  
"We gave you morphling, remember? So you wouldn't feel pain. But you'll be better soon." Lily spoke. "How come you don't want to name your twins?"

"I don't know. Was it in Thirteen?"  
"What?"  
"Where Peeta and I… Peeta…"

Lily gulped. She wasn't sure what Katniss was asking. But she had a feeling she knew.

"Where Peeta and I made them?"

"…the twins…?" Lily asked quietly, feeling uncomfortable.

"Yeah."  
"Um… yes? I mean, you were a month pregnant when we had spent over 4 months there, and Peeta had been there for a little over a month. So, yes. I suppose. That's… something you should ask him. Peeta, I mean."

Katniss nodded. "I remember that night. It was so different than I could have ever imagined. When he…"

Lily pursed her lips. This was getting strange. She didn't really want to know these kind of details. That was something only Katniss and Peeta should have knowledge of. But Katniss always said ridiculous things when she was drugged.

"When he—"  
"Why don't you get some sleep?" Lily quickly cut Katniss off. "Your body must be exhausted after all that effort." Katniss nodded and accommodated herself a bit.

"Two babies…" She whispered as she closed her eyes.

Lily's lips stretched into a small smile. "Two babies." She echoed, smoothing back Katniss's hair as she was quickly taken by sleep. "It's gonna be okay." She wasn't sure why she had said that. But maybe Katniss was anxious about raising twins at the age of 18. Thankfully, there was not revolution to worry about anymore. Katniss felt grateful that she had never gotten pregnant before the Quarter Quell. That would mean that she would have been pregnant and the baby would have been born during the rebellion. Not that she had those kind of sexual interests in anyone at that time. She would have never had sex with anyone. By 'anyone', it only meant 2 young men.

…

"Katniss?" She felt a hand shake her shoulder, then a stroke on her cheek. "Katniss." Said the unmistakable voice. Peeta pressed his lips against her temple, then giving her a kiss there. He saw her eyes move under her eyelids. She breathed a bit harder, and her eyebrows wriggled. This was what she did every time she was waking up. Her eyelashes quivered, until she realized the curtains keeping the moonlight out had been closed, so it was completely dark. The light from downstairs illuminated the room with a soft orange glow. Her eyes opened slightly and she turned her head to where she could see Peeta's face. "Good evening, sleepy head. You feeling okay?"  
"What time is it?" She asked, not answering his question.  
"It's eleven. You slept for a good 7 hours. So did the twins. Actually, they're still making use of their time. Haymitch's here."

Katniss's eyes shot open. "Is he drinking?"

Peeta chuckled softly. "Mm hm. He's drunk."

"What?" Katniss hissed. "I told him not to—"

Peeta laughed again. "I'm just playing. He listened to what you wanted. He's sober."  
Katniss sighed. "Good. That's all that matters. He can't have alcohol or be drunk in this house. Not with the twins here."  
"I understand. I'd prefer he stick to it that way too."  
"Why did you wake me, anyways? I was having some good sleep."  
"Sorry. But your mom ordered you bathe. You still have blood down there. I'll help you, if that's okay with you."

Katniss yawned. "Yeah. That's fine."

Peeta warmed her hand in both of his. "So you feel okay?" He asked again.

"Yeah. Just tired."  
"I can imagine." Peeta smiled. "I'll get your clothes, then I'll help you into the bathroom. Okay?"  
"Okay." Katniss watched him close the door slightly, and then he left. One of the rays of light feel straight on one of her eyes. Her eyes watered with the light so she shifted her head to face the dark corner of the room. She found sleep again, but it felt like a matter of seconds until Peeta came back. He pulled the sheets away from Katniss and then slid his arms under her body and carried her out. She wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes again. Peeta pushed open the bathroom door with his foot, and then set Katniss down on the cushioned stool. Katniss looked over at the bathtub to see that it was filled with water which had suds floating at the surface, floating. She looked back at Peeta, who was sitting in front of her. They looked into each other's eyes until Katniss looked away and her eyes flitted down at their intertwined hands. Peeta raised their hands to his lips.

They showed their love for each other with simple gestures. Peeta kissed each knuckle on Katniss's hands. She cupped his face with her hands and brought their faces together, then giving him a small peck on the nose. They embraced, pressing each other's lips against the other's shoulder or neck. Katniss released a breathy moan when Peeta nipped her neck with his lips. That was as far as they went. They couldn't do anything sensual. Not with Katniss's family downstairs after she had just given birth.

"Let's get you in that bath." Peeta murmured. Katniss smiled softly. They pulled away from each other and Peeta started to take her socks off. He undressed her with a bit of help from Katniss. She didn't mind doing this in front of Peeta anymore. They were both quite used to it, for they had seen each other's naked and scared bodies at least 5 times. Katniss got into the tub with Peeta's help. When she managed to sit down, she closed her eyes as the warm water relaxed her. Peeta ran his fingers through her hair. Peeta got a hold of the shampoo and Katniss's eyes opened at the sound of the bottle's snapping noise. She straightened her spine, her back facing Peeta as he started to scrub the sweet-smelling shampoo into her dark hair. The air was filled with a clean, minty aroma.

Katniss has already been bathed by Peeta twice, but those were times when they were together behind the shower curtain in 13, letting their hands run over each other's favorite places. Despite the touching, Katniss preferred it like this. Having the tub to herself. She was selfish.

Peeta finished washing her hair with conditioner which also had a minty fragrance to it. The water was no longer the clear color with suds but become a salmon pink color. It was because of the dried blood on her legs that was starting to come off as she bathed. Peeta handed her the bar of soap, and Katniss lathered it along her hands, then gave it back to him. She ran her hands along different parts of her body, which aroused Peeta slightly. Her hands passed along her collarbones, and then they would disappear under the water's surface, scraping at the stubborn blood inside of her thighs. The water got pinker. Peeta opened the tub's drain, allowing some of the bloody water to get out, and then he turned on the tap again so that clean water filled the half of the tub, so it wasn't all blood anymore. Katniss's bath ended with Peeta rubbing soap on her shoulders and back. Then he got a towel and drained the rest of the water, leaving Katniss cold in the tub. He took his socks off and stepped in next to a shivering Katniss. He wrapped her in the towel. "I'm going to lift you out, okay?" Katniss nodded. Peeta counted to three and he carried Katniss out, despite the water on her was dripping all over him. He set her down on the brown rug on the floor, and quickly got another towel to start drying her off as she kept warm in the towel that she was surrounded in. He started at her legs, and then Katniss voluntarily started to dry her torso, her arms and her crotch, staining the towel with a pale stain of red.

Katniss looked down at her stomach and gasped. She covered her stomach with her towel quickly.

"What is it?" Peeta asked.  
"Something's wrong with my stomach."  
"What? Let me see." Katniss hesitantly opened her towel, exposing her olive torso, which had saggy and wrinkled skin all over her stomach and abdomen. Her fingers poked her stomach.  
"No, Katniss. That's normal."  
"This?" She pulled at the skin and it stretched easily. "This is disgusting. How is this normal?"  
"They're the left over skin form your pregnancy. Your skin stretched so much, that now you have… um… this. But don't worry, you just need to do exercise."  
"Why are you such on expert on pregnancy?"  
"Your mom told me a lot of things."  
"And not me. I'm the one who should know. Why didn't she tell me?"  
Peeta shrugged. "Who do you trust more, Katniss? Your mother? Or me?" Katniss stared at him confused.

"You. I trust my mom but…"  
"Yeah, I know. That's why she told me. If she told you directly, you'd be hesitant to trusting her. It's hard for you trust her. I understand. But that's normal. Like a balloon, let's say. You get air into a balloon, it expands. But when the air is let out, it's stretchy. Same thing happened with your stomach."  
"Oh." Katniss looked down again. "We need names for them, Peeta."  
"Yes. But I wanna hear you try some names. You barely ever try. I don't think you ever have, actually. Give me some."

Katniss sighed and observed the tiled floor. As Peeta started to dry her hair with a towel.

"Well we know the girl is a fighter. Maybe we should name her something strong-sounding?" Peeta suggested. He reached for Katniss's clothes, and started to help her dress into a clean new nightgown.

"Like what? Thorns?"

"Thorne. Pretty name."  
"I don't like the 'or' part. Too intense for our baby. I don't want them to be fighters, Peeta."  
"Why not? You want them to be weak or something?"  
"That's not what I meant. Like soldiers. I don't want them involved in any of that."  
"And they won't be. We'll tell them the risks. They have us as examples in the future. Anyways. Give me some names that sound….. You know."

"Aster." Katniss said, as Peeta buttoned up her nightgown.  
"That's a good one. Sounds pretty tough."  
"Um… Here's some nature ones. Not tough or anything. Holly… Kalei, Olive. Violet. Flo. Flo means arrow in some old language. Not sure which one. Poppy. Fern, Briar—"

"Briar." Peeta said slowly, tasting the name.

"Briar? You like Briar?"  
"It's pretty. What's briar?"  
"A kind of pant that grows thorns, actually,"

Peeta smiled. "You want Briar? Do you like it?"  
"It's nice."

"All that's left is the boy." Katniss smiled at him.

…

When Katniss's bath was over, they left the bathroom and heard voices in the guest room, where Katniss had been sleeping. Peeta helped Katniss walk there to find Lily, Prim and Haymitch. Prim was watching the twins, as they wriggled in their little blanket-covered tubs that acted as cribs. Lily and Haymitch spoke with each other. Haymitch caught sight of Katniss. "Hey sweetheart. Congratulations." Katniss smiled slightly as Peeta helped her sit in a chair.

"Thank you." She murmured.

"I've never really seen newborns before. But I'll tell you that those two sure are something. The boy has those pretty sweetheart eyes of yours." Katniss grinned. "And the girl has Peeta's eyes and it scares me. They're so insanely blue. Like sapphires or something. Bluer than Peeta's, if feels like. Maybe it's just the fact that I looked at her too long." Peeta chuckled at his mentor's comment. He walked towards the babies in their tubs and realized the twins had been changed into footie pyjamas with tiny knit hats on their heads and baby mitts on their hands. He smiled as they slept side by side on their backs. The baby boy twitched and yawned, but kept his mouth open, sticking his tongue out to lick his rosy lips. Peeta held his son's tiny mitt-covered hand. He could see that the baby's nose was pointed, but still a bit rounder than Katniss's, which probably meant he had his dad's nose. His tiny, silver grey Seam eyes opened and peered up at him, blinking slowly. They had flecks of dark grey and pale, feather white and thin silvery blue stripes around his black pupils.

Peeta could see Katniss in there clearly. He slowly picked up the fragile baby in his arms. Then the boy's lips formed into his mother's scowl.

 **In the next chapter: Peeta's little baby baker boy gets his name!**


	8. Epilogue

_**I think this will be the last chapter. Recently, I haven't been getting reviews at all, and when I do, it turns out to be just one. And that really bothers me, makes me think that nobody pays attention to this story anymore… and I had like 7 other chapters planned. But I don't think it's worth it anymore…I'm just going to compile this tiny chapter with ones I was planning. So I think this is where I'll end it. Thanks to those who read the continuation of HITPWILY.**_

 _ **Basically, this is a rushed epilogue.**_

 _Katniss and Peeta moved back to their house, but Katniss refused to let the twins sleep in their cribs. So, they ended up in her and Peeta's bed on their backs. Katniss and Peeta embraced and observed the twins cocooned between their bodies._

 _"They're so small." Katniss murmured. "I can't believe we made these things."_

 _Peeta smiled. This was his family now. The family he was in charge of taking care of now. His fingers stroked each one of the twins' plump, red cheeks. Then he caressed one of his son's tiny, wrinkled hands. "What are we going to name this fella?" He asked his partner._

 _"I was thinking of names for him earlier, after we decided to name Briar 'Briar'."_

 _"Oh yeah? Let's hear them."  
"I only have one suggestion."  
"That's fine."_

 _"Elias."_

 _Peeta pursed his lips and nodded a bit. "Sounds Capitol-y. Are you okay with that?"  
"I don't think it sounds "Capitol-y". But yeah, I like it. That's why I had it in mind. What do you think of it?"  
"It's unique."_

 _Katniss smiled at him. "Then Elias it is. Elias and Briar Mellark."_

 _The twins grew faster than anyone expected. Elias grew downy, blond curls like his father at just 3 months. Briar had her father's eyes and long, dark curled lashes. Katniss couldn't love them more. They were both a perfect combination of her and Peeta. She worried over their futures every once in a while, but Peeta always managed to put her worries down._

 _Years flew by in a blink of an eye. It scared Katniss how fast her twins grew, because she missed when they both weighed 5 pounds and she could carry them in her arms so easily. She missed when she would wake up to the sound of both of the baby's coos and raspberries and squeals. She missed when they both crawled around the house in their footie pajamas. And there was one year, when the twins started school, Katniss fell into depression. Part of it for missing her twins' childhoods, her own even (the good portion), and the other part for everything she went through._

 _The heaviest night of depression was also the last. Peeta made love to her slowly that night, comforting her, emitting moans from her, kissing her breasts and the insides of her thighs, moving into her so slowly, so torturously, yet, so deliciously. Peeta did all the work that night. He wanted her to be happy again, he wanted to see that pleased and calm smile on her face every time she gave him after she came. He wanted to hear those stimulating noises escape her lips- the noises that meant she felt amazing was pleased and felt beautiful._

 _There was a night, not long after their renewing love- making, when Peeta got down on one knee, showing Katniss a ring with a black pearl mounted on it. The black pearl he gave her 5 years ago._

 _"This is real." He said that night. "Not an act; not for anyone. It's real." He told her as she broke down in tears. Katniss had covered her mouth with her hands, because,_ _yes,_ _she knew this was real. She knew that she loved him, that there were no longer any cameras to act in front of so their families were kept safe._

 _"Will you marry me?"_

 _Katniss closed her eyes, letting everything that had ever happened between them flash through her head. The bread, the kisses in the arenas, the nights on the trains, the nights in 13 when they became intimate with each other._

 _The twins._

 _The ring he was holding in front of her._

 _"Yes. Yes, I will."_

 _ **The End.**_

 **Again, thank you for reading this series. I hope you guys enjoyed this storyline, it was my first real fanfiction I wrote and I didn't even think I'd get so many views and followers for the series. Thank you, especially to those who continued reading the story even after Katniss got raped and Peeta 'died' and I lost 27 followers and about 15 favorites… lol**

 **May the odds be ever in your favor!**

 **MarsBarJ**


End file.
